Obligation, page 8
Oh, shit. This was not going to be good. The knot in Carissa’s stomach tightened painfully, and she had to force herself to remain upright when all she really wanted to do was curl up in the fetal position and go to sleep.
“Today, you have another choice. You can choose to own your decisions from Friday night, or you can choose to walk out the front door.” Mallory pointed at the door to emphasize her point. “So, ladies, what will you choose?”
No one moved.
“Wonderful.” Mallory clapped. “Part of owning your choices is in how you stand behind them.” She glanced over her shoulder and nodded at Amber.
Amber retrieved the tote bag and moved to stand at the end of the line near Ella. Amber wore a mischievous grin.
“At TOP, we never shame, judge, or belittle any woman for what she chooses to do in her personal time, or who she chooses to do it with. As a result, ladies of TOP do not ever do a walk of shame. Oh, no.” Mallory shook her head and wagged her perfectly manicured finger. “We do the stride of pride.”
Carissa sucked in a sharp breath.
“Amber, if you will.” Mallory waved her hand at Amber.
Amber proceeded to hand Ella a white T-shirt. “Don’t unfold it,” she instructed, then worked down the line until every pledge had a shirt. “Okay, now you may look.”
Carissa unfolded her shirt and held it out in front of her so she could get a good look. Across the front in purple and gold lettering were the words, Annual Theta Omega Pi Stride of Pride. Her name was embroidered in the upper left corner. Okay, this isn’t so bad. She turned the shirt around to see what, if anything, was on the back, and she instantly felt the color drain from her face.
The picture she’d texted to Mallory, the one where Carissa was kissing Bradley’s cheek, was printed on the back of the shirt. Other pledges laughed or commented on the quality of the photo. Carissa, however, slowly lowered the garment and stared at her sorority president. Mallory wasn’t seriously going to make Carissa wear this, was she?
“Alright, ladies. Put those shirts on and let’s go.” Mallory clapped again. “We’re going to go out there”—she once again pointed toward the door—“and do the stride of pride straight into the quad. We’re going to show everyone that we’re not ashamed of our choices.”
Tiffany gently elbowed Carissa and whispered, “You okay?”
Carissa blew out a breath. Her only saving grace was that Danny didn’t have a class until early afternoon, which meant he wouldn’t be on campus right now. Maybe she could complete the task and burn this shirt before he ever found out.
Finally, she nodded, and Tiffany smiled.
Here goes nothing. Carissa removed her lightweight, short-sleeve sweater and yanked the T-shirt on in its place. She adjusted the shoulders and pulled the hem down. The size was a perfect fit, and the material was rather comfortable. If she concentrated hard enough, she might be able to forget that she was wearing a photo of her glaring infidelity on her back.
“Oh, and there’s one more thing.” Mallory opened the envelope she’d been holding and slipped out a small stack of paper. “You’ll need to recite this as we walk.” She passed each pledge a single sheet.
“You have got to be kidding me,” Carissa mumbled under her breath as she scanned the printed words.
Chapter Eleven
Bradley hit the automatic lock button on his key fob, then shoved his keys into his front pocket. “Ready?” He stood near the rear of the car, waiting for Jeremy to catch up.
“Yep.” Jeremy hitched his backpack onto his shoulder. “Let’s go get educated.” He slapped Bradley’s shoulder and laughed.
Together, they walked from the commuter parking lot toward the college campus, which took about five minutes, and then another three minutes to reach the quad. Luckily for Bradley, both of his morning classes were in the same building that stood on the north side of the quad, so he wouldn’t have to trek back and forth across campus.
“What’s going on up there?” Jeremy asked.
Bradley followed the direction of Jeremy’s gaze. A large group of people surrounded the quad, cell phones raised in the air. Laughter and encouraging catcalls filled the morning air.
“I have no idea,” Bradley said, his tone distracted. “A fight, maybe?”
“Whatever it is, I need to see.” Jeremy picked up his pace, and Bradley followed.
Unfortunately, the crowd was so thick and unwilling to make room for anyone else, so Bradley climbed on top of a nearby picnic table to get a better look. A group of girls were walking in a single-file line toward the quad while several other impeccably dressed girls followed.
Bradley squinted and shielded his eyes from the blinding sun. Who was that girl leading the line? She looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t quite place where he’d seen her before. Jeremy climbed onto the table, too, and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Bradley.
The girls drew closer, and as they did, he was able to hear what they were saying. Or rather, chanting.
“Theta Omega Pi girls got game! Forget the walk of shame! We do the stride of pride! Theta Omega Pi girls got game!” Their voices rang out loud and clear and in perfect unison.
Bradley’s eyes widened. That was the sorority Carissa was pledging. He scanned the line for her and found her near the end. The chanting continued, and the crowd cheered. The girls stopped walking, shouted the chant one last time, then turned their backs to the group.
Jeremy laughed and pointed, but Bradley was too focused on the image on the back of Carissa’s shirt. She had her lips pressed to his cheek, almost touching the corner of his mouth, and they were both glancing at the camera. Even from this distance, he could see the sparkle in her hazel eyes the moment she’d kissed him.
Slowly, the crowd dispersed. Bradley jumped down from the table and wove his way through people to reach Carissa before she disappeared on him. When he finally stepped foot in the quad, he found Carissa talking to Tiffany and another girl he didn’t know.
The mere sight of her had the ability to steal his breath and make his heart flutter. Though, if he were being honest, a lot of his reaction right now was nerves. After rejecting her kiss yesterday—and her ignoring his text messages—he had no idea how she’d react to seeing him this morning. But he had to try to make things right.
“I gotta get to class. I’ll see you later,” Tiffany said just as Bradley approached.
“So, who do I need to talk to about getting me one of those shirts?” he asked.
Carissa spun around. Her face was flushed, and her eyes were more green than brown. “Shut up.” She laughed.
Okay, laughter was good. Maybe she wasn’t still pissed at him.
The other girl Carissa had been talking to glanced at Bradley. “Hey, I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“Okay. See ya, Ella.” Carissa waved as the girl walked away. Then she turned her attention back to Bradley. “I’m guessing I wasn’t lucky enough for you not to have seen that?”
The corner of his mouth lifted. “I saw every wonderful moment of that. Heard every word, too.”
Carissa flung her head back and groaned. “How embarrassing.”
“So now you’re embarrassed to have kissed me?” He raised a brow, his smile widening. “The other night you said you liked it. A lot.”
She rolled her eyes. “I was drunk.”
He laughed. “Not that drunk.”
“Okay, then I lied.”
“No you didn’t.” He shook his head.
“Alright.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “But clearly, I was the only one who enjoyed it, because if you had, you wouldn’t have pulled away yesterday.”
Bradley winced at the reminder, and at the harshness in her tone. “I explained why I did that.”
“Mm-hmm.” She took a step back. “Well, this has been fun, but I need to change out of the stupid T-shirt and get to class.”
He had a class, too, but smoothing things over with her was more important than being late to a class he didn’t even want to take. “Carissa, wait.” He jogged after her. “You never answered my texts.”
“I know.” She continued to walk at a brisk pace, almost like she was trying to get away from him. “I was busy.” She shrugged.
He knew he needed to take the hint and leave her alone, but his common sense seemed to have vanished. “Will you at least tell me if you’re mad at me?” He was desperate for any sort of answer from her.
Suddenly, she stopped and spun to face him. “Mad? No.” She shook her head. “Not at you, anyway.”
He tilted his head. “Then who are you mad at?”
“Myself.” She sighed. “I shouldn’t have tried to kiss you yesterday, and I’m sorry I put you in that position. But you’re right. As long as I’m with Danny, you and I can’t be anything more than friends.”
Even though he’d been the one to say that initially, hearing her agree and repeat it back to him was like a punch to the gut. “I take it that means you two worked things out?” His tone took on a hard edge he hadn’t really meant, but the thought of her forgiving that guy grated on Bradley’s every last nerve.
She simply nodded.
“Good to know,” he said, his tone cool. “Guess I’ll see you around.”
With each step he took away from her, his heart thudded painfully, and his anger simmered hotter and hotter until he was seconds away from exploding. He’d bet anything Danny hadn’t bothered to tell her that he’d left Saturday night and didn’t come home until Sunday evening. Granted, Danny had probably been with Carissa during part of that time, but Bradley knew damn well Danny hadn’t been with her Saturday night. So, where had he been?
Bradley’s steps faltered, and he considered turning around, chasing after Carissa, and telling her exactly what kind of boyfriend she had. But he wasn’t the type to tattle on anyone like that. He also wasn’t the type to get in the middle of anyone’s relationship, no matter how toxic it might be. Or how badly he wanted the girl for himself.
He walked into class a few minutes late, but he didn’t care. His mind was elsewhere. Taking a seat in the back of the lecture hall, he pulled the small desk across his lap and lowered his head to his folded arms. Business Law was a class he’d already taken in Texas, but for some unknown reason, the credits didn’t transfer, so here he was again. At least the class would be an easy-A, and he didn’t really have to pay attention that closely.
His phone clucked, and he jolted upright. The professor stopped speaking and glared at the class. No one spoke, but lots of students looked around for the wayward chicken. Bradley really needed to change his text notification sound. When the professor resumed class, Bradley eased his phone from his pocket.
The first thing he did was put his phone on vibrate, and then he opened his messages.
Carissa: I’m sorry I upset you. That wasn’t my intention.
His phone vibrated in his hand.
Carissa: All of us are going to the homecoming game and bonfire this weekend. You’re invited, too. I hope you’ll come.
Eyes narrowed, he studied her text. Who was all of us? And why did she care if he went or not? Surely, Danny would be there to keep her company. The last thing Bradley wanted to do was spend an entire evening watching those two.
Bradley: Thanks. I’ll let you know about this weekend.
Slipping his phone back into his pocket, he attempted to pay attention to class, but his thoughts were too much of a jumbled mess to concentrate. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, class ended. Bradley made a mental note of the reading assignment before rushing out of the lecture hall.
He had almost half an hour before his next class. Needing some fresh air, and a strong dose of caffeine, he headed outside. Winston Hall had a small coffeeshop, complete with calorie-packed pastries—both of which sounded good right then. The line, as usual, was long, and he wondered if he’d have time to order and get to class without being late.
“Yo! Bradley!” Jeremy waved from where he stood near the front of the line.
Bradley wasn’t a line-cutter, and he loathed when others did that to him, but he was in a rush. Not to mention, his mood continued to sour with each passing second. Ingesting copious amounts of caffeine and sugar was in everyone’s best interest.
Joining Jeremy, Bradley pulled a twenty out of his wallet and handed the bill to his friend. “Order for me, too, so I don’t have to stand in this line, and I’ll pay for yours.”
“Deal.” Jeremy snatched the twenty from Bradley and shoved the bill into his pocket. “What do you want?”
“Large coffee with two shots of caramel, a shot of vanilla, and two chocolate croissants.”
Jeremy nodded. “You got it.” He moved ahead in line.
Bradley moved off to the side to wait and checked his phone. He really hadn’t expected a reply from Carissa, but not getting one was disappointing. If only he could figure her out… Maybe then he’d know how to act around her.
Jeremy approached carrying two coffee cups and a pastry bag. He handed one cup and the bag to Bradley. “You headed to your next class?”
“Yeah. You?” Bradley sipped his coffee, the liquid scalding his tongue. “Ah, damn,” he mumbled.
Jeremy laughed. “Little too hot?”
“Want me to dump it over your head so you can find out?” Bradley grinned. “Thanks.” He held up the bag. “See you later?”
“Sure thing.” Jeremy waved and strode away in the opposite direction.
Bradley wandered back out the door he’d come in. Carissa sat on a bench in the quad. Her head was down, and she had her phone in her hand. He took a deep breath, knowing he should just go to class and pretend he hadn’t seen her. But he didn’t. Instead, he marched over and sat beside her.
She glanced up, a look of surprise crossing her face. “Hey,” she said.
He set his coffee cup on the ground next to the bench, opened the bag, and held it out to Carissa. “Croissant?”
She peeked inside the bag. “Chocolate?”
Chuckling, he said, “Is there any other way to eat a croissant?”
Carissa smiled broadly, reached inside the bag, and retrieved a flaky, still warm croissant. Bradley claimed the other one for himself and took a large bite. They ate in comfortable silence. He watched students rush in and out of various buildings while others converged in groups.
“What time is the game?” he asked.
“Starts at seven over on athletic field two,” she said.
He nodded. “And the bonfire?”
“Right after the game ends. There’s a large bluff that overlooks the ocean. That’s where the party will be.”
“Sounds fun.” He wadded up the bag, aimed for the trash can a few feet away, and tossed the bag.
“Nice shot.” Carissa laughed. “I can see why you were on the basketball team. I’m surprised you haven’t tried out for the college team.”
He shrugged. “I hadn’t really thought about it.”
His move to California wasn’t exactly very well planned. He’d needed to get out of Texas and away from his ex, and when he’d gotten accepted to Harmony Falls University, he’d just packed up and left.
“I watched you playing ball with my brother and the guys yesterday. You’re really good.” She nudged his shoulder with hers.
A tiny thrill shot through him at the knowledge she’d been paying that much attention to him. Of course, at the time she’d been watching him, she was still fighting with Danny. Now that they’d reconciled, would she start ignoring Bradley? The only reason she was talking to him now was because he’d taken the initiative to sit with her and strike up a conversation.
He picked up his coffee and took a sip. At least he didn’t burn his mouth that time. Standing, he said, “I have another class.” He walked away.
Next time, he wouldn’t be the one to initiate contact with her. He’d wait to see if she approached him first or otherwise tried to talk to him. If she did, then maybe he needed to re-evaluate his stance on not interfering with her relationship. If she didn’t, then he’d know how she truly felt.
Chapter Twelve
The week flew by in a flurry of classes, pledge meetings, and late night study sessions so she’d be ready to answer any questions about TOP without hesitation. By the time Friday rolled around, Carissa was exhausted. She’d give anything to have a quiet night in her room, hanging out with Tiffany and gossiping, but they had another meeting at the sorority house.
Mallory’s text demanding their presence had been cryptic. Equal parts curiosity and nervousness filled Carissa as she and Tiffany walked to Greek Row. The air was chillier than normal for this time of year, and a drizzling rain had started to fall.
“So, what do you think we’re going to have to do tonight?” Tiffany asked.
“I have no idea.” Carissa shrugged. “But whatever it is, I hope it doesn’t require a lot of energy.”
Tiffany laughed. “Yeah, right. Everything they’ve made us do so far has required a certain level of energy.”
“Okay, let me rephrase… I hope it doesn’t require a lot of physical energy. I am wiped after the week I’ve had.” Carissa yawned.
She and Danny had been getting along great, too—right up until a few hours ago when she had to cancel their date in favor of going to the sorority house. Danny had been pissed and hung up on her. She texted him a heartfelt apology that he ignored.
While she understood that he was upset—she would’ve been, too, if he’d canceled plans with her at the last minute—she didn’t understand why he was being so selfish. She hadn’t lied to him about wanting to pledge a sorority, and he knew she’d gone through the process.
Her phone chimed, and she scrambled to get it out of her pocket, hoping and praying she had a message from Danny, that he’d calmed down and realized he’d overreacted. But nope.
Cayla: Hey, buttface. I have to go out of town for a work conference next month. Wanna cat sit for me? Wiggles will need food, water, and snuggles.
